


One Coffee Please!

by Fablivious



Category: The Willoughbys (2020)
Genre: AU, Angst, Anxiety, Café, Coffee shop au thing, Fluff, Gen, Insecurities, Not sure if Nanny or Melanoff will appear here, OC's - Freeform, the families they are in currently are typical ones, they have their problems, they might make small cameos tho :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:02:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25775569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fablivious/pseuds/Fablivious
Summary: An A.U where the Willoughby kids were separated and raised in different homes.One day a young child, a small blue cat, and fate reunite them once again...
Relationships: Barnabys and Tim, Jane and the Barnabys, Tim and Jane
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. A Reoccurring Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> So to explain this A.U more; Neighbors were suspecting something wrong in the Willoughby house and reported it. Social Workers come in and find that Mother and Father are unfit to raise 4 children. And so, they are put up for adoption and separated. 
> 
> Tim is 6 at the time; old enough to vaguely remember some events
> 
> Jane is 3; possible she could vaguely remember a few major events.
> 
> The Barnabys are barely a year old; they do not recall anything

_ Darkness. He could feel the quiet smothering him. He could feel the ashes make their way into his lungs. A cough begged to come out but he would not allow himself to. He could feel he was sitting on a very uncomfortable, cold and rough stone. He could vaguely see the coal stack to his right. _

_ “Tim?” A small voice could be heard. It sounded hoarse, like they hadn’t drank water in a while. But it was also sweet and full of life. It sounded just like a child. He wanted to call out but found that he could not. He couldn’t move at all in fact. He could hear soft whimpers.  _

_ “Tim, I’m sorry…” It was barely above a whisper, yet he could hear it loud and clear. The voice echoed around the dark room. This was the voice of a little girl. She was apologizing, but he had no idea what for.  _

_ “Tim, I don’t want to go! I want to stay with you!” Her voice sounded more desperate. And he could hear yelling, yet this sounded more farther, more distant, and almost familiar. It sounded like scolding. And then the little girl yelled; _

_ “No! No! Tim!” _

_ “Tim!” _

_ “Tim! _

_ “Tim?” _

* * *

His eyes shot open. He breathed heavily and looked around the room. He found that there was no coal stack. No cold, rough, uncomfortable stone. No ashes to clog his lungs. No darkness. He was in his bedroom. The light from the window shone brightly, allowing him to see the contents of his bedroom clearly. He gave a sigh of relief and wiped the bead of sweat he had on his forehead. He covered his face with his hands and groaned.

It had been 5 months since he had that dream. He thought he was over these silly nightmares, but apparently not. He got up from bed and quickly showered and changed. 

Grabbing the car keys, he quickly walked up to the small white car he got for his 15th birthday. Not that he asked for anything, his parents just went over the top for him. He chuckled lightly at the thought of it. And now, his 21th birthday was rolling around the corner and he was sure they would try to do something completely over the top to celebrate. 

As he parked, it had just occurred to him that he had left his phone. He figured he didn’t need it and that he could pick it up while he drove to work in the afternoon. 

He spent the morning in class studying and doing the work they had been assigned. Another normal day for him. One more year and he’d graduate and by that time, the novel he was planning to write would be done. And if everything went according to plan, he would soon be a well known author.  As he was opening the car door, he spotted a stray. A small blue cat. He had seen him around a few times and here he was again. 

The cat walked towards him and jumped on the front of his car. Tim gasped. The blue cat stared at him intensely. 

Tim frowned momentarily before trying to shoo the feline away. It didn't budge. It gave a yawn and rested on the hood of his car. Tim glared at the cat and attempted to lightly push it. 

The cat simply opened one of its eyes to stare at him and resumed closing them. Tim groaned. 

Tim wasn't entirely sure what to do, he could try to be hostile to the cat but he didn't have the heart to do it. And the cat knew that as well, apparently. 

"I'm gonna be late to my shift…" he muttered. He looked at the cat one last time. "Please move!" Surprisingly, the cat obeyed. Tim was taken aback by this. 

He expected the cat to run to the other side of the street, instead he jumped into his car and sat on the passenger seat. Tim huffed but accepted his fate. He got in and started up his car.


	2. The Humble Cafe

As Tim continued driving, he was conscious of the fact that the cat was looking at all the people they passed by in town. It was if he was looking for someone. He tried looking at the road ahead while also looking at the feline next to him.

Going into town was always cordial. Tim didn't talk to a lot of people, but this town was small. There were small homes and many trees. There was a bakery close to the neighborhood that he always liked to visit. And it was busy, but at night you could barely hear anything except the occasional backyard party. The town was small enough that almost everyone knew everyone. He had been invited to one of the parties when he lived there. Moving out was hard, but he knew he could always come back and visit. Thinking of a familiar place with familiar faces was comforting. It felt warm, the feeling you'd get when you sit down in your favorite chair with your favorite book. But it wasn't so much the kind of chair you sit it or the type of book you read. It was the familiarity of it that he loved. It was something that made him feel safe. Like a hug. The type of hug that you want to stay in forever.

If you went far enough into town, you'd reach the city. This city wasn't large, but it was busy and big enough that you'd find people walking about in the dark. The busiest the city got was in the afternoon. The traffic wasn't bad, but it'd get annoying sometimes. Unlike the town, the city is loud. There was always something new happening. But he didn't bother joining in on the buzz when it occurred. 

He rolled into the public parking lot and paid the fee. He opened up the passenger seat door of his car to reveal the blue cat who was sitting idly, seemingly caring for nothing at all. Tim rolled his eyes and tried to get him out of his car. He succeeded this time, but only for a short moment. The cat jumped straight into the backpack he laid down on the pavement. Tim stared at him for a while before promptly giving in. He slung his bag over his shoulder, locked his car, and headed to work. As Tim was walking, he saw plenty of faces. Faces who were not familiar to him, it was a weird feeling he felt while walking amongst people in the city. He always felt like he needed to blend in as much as possible, though it was hard for someone like him. He was tall, skinny, and he had bright red hair that happened to be impossible not to notice.

During elementary and middle school, he had been teased a few times because of his weight. And being an insecure tween, he couldn't handle it. It didn't get much better when his parents started to make him eat more. He was too skinny, and his parents were worried he was going to die if they didn't try bringing his weight up. Eventually, his doctor talked some sense into them, telling them that if they continued to force-feed him, he would get sick. That didn't stop his insecurities, however. That didn't stop the teasing at school. 

He continued walking, trying to avoid bumping into as many people as possible. He eventually stopped in front of a small building. It wasn't very noticeable. There weren't any bright colors or flashing signs. Just one sign on the door with the words; "Open." 

It was a small cafe, a small business that his friend, Amy, started. He remembered her endless talking about wanting to start her own cafe or restaurant. And three years ago, when they were walking on the same street, she pointed at the run-down building he was now standing in front of, and she said;

"That's the one."

Back then, he scoffed and told her she'd have to be a wizard to turn that awful place into something pleasing to look at. But once again, she proved him wrong. He was happy for her, of course.

Tim opened the door to the cafe. Inside, there were small tables and chairs. People were chatting softly while the new jukebox Amy managed to find was playing music. Tim didn't understand why she wanted an old machine in her cafe, but she told him she wanted it to have that old-timey vibe. She painted the walls a pastel blue. Just for now. She wanted to have patterns on the wall. She had already envisioned everything she wanted for her cafe to be. But she didn't have the budget for it. Tim offered to work for her. She accepted and insisted that it wouldn't be a real job if she didn't pay him after he told her she didn't have to. Tim helped her find new people to employ. One of them happened to be-

"You're late." The female behind the counter said. Tim shook his head. He went inside and put his bag away while he put on his uniform. The Cat jumped out of the bag and into his arms. He came out to greet her. The name tag she had on read, "Zoey." He met Zoey two years ago when they were starting college. 

Zoey has bright green eyes and long straight black hair. She's beautiful. He remembered the first time they met, he asked her if she was a model. She only laughed and never mentioned that incident ever again, but they became good friends afterward. What was most special about Zoey was her skin. She was African-American, but she had white splotches and dots all over her arms, legs, and face. It was a skin condition, but it was one of the things that made her beautiful. She claimed she didn't care what people thought of her and she went out of her way to always expose her arms and legs. Right now, she was wearing her favorite purple dress and the brown apron Amy called ''uniform." Zoey gasped as she saw what Tim was holding in his arms.

"And who's this little fellow?" she cooed. Zoey petted him and scratched his chin softly. Tim chuckled.

"I found him on the street and he followed me around," Tim answered. Zoey giggled and continued petting him. She stopped and looked at the door. 

"I'm glad you came, it's been such a busy day," she groaned. Tim laughed at her sarcasm. He looked around the cafe and saw that about seven people were sitting down and chatting. Tim set down the blue cat and he proceeded to sit down near a window. Tim looked at Zoey, who continued looking at the cat. "Hey, uh, are pets allowed here?" she asked. Tim shrugged.

"I'm sure Amy won't mind," he reasoned. Zoey smiled. Tim observed the cafe. Although he didn't like talking to people, he liked his job. He knew the names of most of the people sitting down. And they all knew him. There were a few that would come in daily or once a week. Others came in for the first time and were never seen again. He silently thanked the people who decided to keep coming back to the small cafe. Amy worked the morning shift with a guy named Sal, so Tim never got to see her much anymore. Tim knew Amy since high school. She was his best friend, he wouldn't give her up for anything. She was practically his sister.

He looked to his left where Zoey was looking at her phone. He sighed heavily. This was going to be a long shift...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took forever to upload the second chapter. Let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if this chapter is short, I usually write longer but I didn't wanted to overdo myself.
> 
> Criticism and Feedback are much appreciated!


End file.
